If you're a ranked team in NCAA college soccer, you're likely feeling spooky season right now. Wake Forest once again killed a giant, this time Florida St. (the Deacs were ranked higher in this matchup to be fair), and then for good measure Virginia Tech piled on. Mississippi St. wanted in on the fun and shut out no.1 Arkansas. The teams might be scary, but the results were scarier.
When it comes to an upset there are a lot of different elements involved. In fact, teams like Mississippi St. or Wake Forest might not want to even call them upsets because they've been playing such consistently quality soccer that they see themselves as the team to beat instead of the other way around. But, there are certain expectations in beating a team either ranked higher than you or with a deep pedigree like FSU.
For example, the key to Virginia Tech's 3-2 win over FSU was Taylor Price. The Hokies were down 2-0 right up until the 79th minute. A game-tying goal was called back and then Price went to work, having decided that the Hokies could and would win this game. Working the wing, Price pushed the entire Virginia Tech team forward, finding a way to get the ball into the box and pulling her team with her. Ultimately, it was Price who scored the go-ahead goal, a reward for her belief in the upset and her constantly positioning in the final third.
In the same vein, Wake Forest's 4-1 trouncing of FSU can be chalked up to the sense of belief the entire team has in their ability to win big games and the play of Caiya Hanks. With six goals and five assists, Hanks is the definition of a playmaker, finding the goal herself or setting her teammates up to score. Hanks appearing on the score sheet with a goal or an assist reinforces the belief that Wake Forest has that no team is impossible to beat. Right now, Wake Forest isn't scared of anyone and a large part of that is because they know no team can game plan for Hanks.
There's not one player on Mississippi St. that's responsible for their consistent improvement in the rankings. Instead, their game-changer is their stingy backline that thrives in a 1-0 game where the margin for error is approximately zero. That's not usually a comfortable place to be, but it's the game plan for Mississippi St. and it's led them to a 10-1 season. The defense has held teams to two (yes, two) goals all year and only 61 shots on net. That's an opposition goals-per-game percentage of 0.18 if you're wondering. Teams know that Mississippi St. plays with a brick wall for defensive and yet, no one has been able to figure out a way around that.
As teams start reaching for the wins necessary to make the NCAA tournament (or have a high enough seed to play at home), the players that will make the impossible happen will start revealing themselves. Price, Hanks, and the Mississippi St. defense aren't exactly secrets, but their ability to be known entities and still find ways to impact a game is what sets them apart. Gamechangers, their talent is snatching a game from an opponent before they even realize what's happened all while inspiring their own team to suspend reality until the upset is complete. The scariest part is there's often no way to stop them from taking over a game.
Quick Notes
Florida St. had a no-good, very bad, horrible weekend. No.6 FSU lost 4-1 to No.4 Wake Forest on Thursday--their first loss in two years. Then, after leading by two, Florida St. gave up three unanswered goals to Virginia Tech to lose 3-2 on Sunday.
Mississippi State had perhaps the best weekend of any team. The Bulldogs set a new attendance record of 2,617 on their way to beating No.1 Arkansas 1-0. The shutout was the tenth of the season and the fourth in a row.
Ohio State Head Coach Lori Walker-Hock achieved her 300th career win at Ohio State with a 3-0 win over Maryland.
SLU's Emily Gaebe scored the 10th hat trick in program history on her way to setting a new program record for career goals (43) and total points (107).
What to Watch Week 9*
No.7 Mississippi St. v Georgia, Oct. 10 @6:30 pm EST, SEC+
This is an unstoppable force that meets an immovable object matchup. Mississippi St. knows how to make a statement win, building momentum by taking down the No.1 team in the country, Arkansas 1-0. But, Georgia has proven to be one of the tougher teams to beat. Both teams have a knack for scoring decisive, statement goals while also providing lights out defense. In particular, Mississippi St. held No.1 Arkansas to one shot on goal in their matchup.
Nebraska v Rutgers, Oct. 10 @7:30 pm EST, Big Ten Network
This is a must-win for a Nebraska team trying to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. It has been an absolute slog for the Huskers and a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin only made matters worse. Rutgers, on the other hand, has two big ties against Michigan St. and Penn St. but will be looking to get back in the win column. It's a good chance to scout Rutgers and to see how Nebraska responds to their back against the wall.
No.23 TCU v West Virginia, Oct. 10 @8:00 pm EST, ESPN+
TCU has, relatively quietly, put together a solid season. They thrashed No.14 Colorado 6-1 to wrap up the weekend and the games they haven't won they've played tough. With wins against Arizona and BU, TCU has a resume. Meanwhile, West Virginia is also 9-2-2 but doesn't have the statement win(s) that TCU can boast. With time running out, both teams will want the win here and can't really afford to settle for a tie.
No.6 Florida St. v Boston College, Oct.12 @7:00 pm EST, ACCNX
You might have watched FSU v Virginia Tech just to see how Florida St. would bounce back. You should watch BC v FSU for the same reasons. Boston College has ten wins this season including their first two ACC wins in two years. But, the Eagles need a statement win to boost their tournament resume. FSU has won the last two matchups 6-0 but have never looked this mortal. Both teams are coming off of losses and have a lot to prove about their mentality in the back half of the season.
*Rankings are based on the previous week's poll as the new rankings were not posted before this article was written.
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